a blog about screenwriting, film, and story

Monthly Archives: September 2014

I was talking to someone in the industry a couple of weeks ago, and was surprised by how positive this person was about the fact that I’d just written a new feature script on spec. “You would not believe,” this professional said, “how many writers simply don’t write scripts on spec.”

I confess, I was a bit confused. I thought that was, well, our job. “So what do they do all day?” I asked.

“Oh, a lot of them just write outlines. Draft after draft of outlines, while they wait for the project to sell. The fact is, if they wrote a spec, the projects probably would sell. But they don’t. And meanwhile, the people writing specs sell projects…”

I may have paraphrased a little, but the basics of the conversation are true. Scripts sell where pitches and outlines won’t, because they give people a clearer idea of what it is they’re buying – not to mention demonstrating your commitment to the project. Personally, I’ve just this year had my first ever project optioned from a pitch. Everything else, whether it got made in the end or not, has been optioned from a spec script.

So the advice is clear. Go forth and write scripts, because scripts sell.

It’s almost time for Wolfblood season three, so let’s have a quick round-up of what’s happening…

Season Three on CBBC – episode one shows on CBBC at 5pm on Monday 15th, episode two on the 16th, continuing Mondays and Tuesdays thereafter.

(Overseas viewers – as always, I don’t know when season three will be on your country. You need to contact the appropriate TV channel in your country – usually ZDF or Disney – and ask them. And contacting them instead of contacting me also helps the show – the more people who ask the TV station when it will be on, the more likely they are to show it soon!)

The CBBC website is doing a countdown to the first episode: every day, by answering a simple question, you can unlock special content (including the first of the webisodes written by Neil Jones and starring Jana and the wild pack!) Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/shows/wolfblood

(Some content may not be available to overseas viewers.)

The Wolfblood seasons one and two re-cap in rap! This may be my favourite extra ever… If your memory of what happens in previous seasons is a little hazy, why not remind yourself with this handy rapped summary? Available on the CBBC website – and there’s a legitimate, all-regions version on YouTube at

I was a guest on the YouTube channel Media Madness, talking all things Wolfblood… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4HEawf1CJo

The Annos Africa charity auction – lastly, if you can spare a few quid for an excellent charity, how about putting in a bid for a lot in the Annos Africa auction? There’s a Wolfblood lot comprising an adult cast & crew hoodie, and a gold umbrella with the Wolfblood logo – these aren’t merchandise, they were made only for the crew and cast, and so are a bit of collector’s item!

There are also fab items donated by Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Rickman, Jane Birkin, and Being Human creator Toby Whithouse, among many, many others. Hurry, though, the auction ends Sunday 14th! Full list of lots, and more about the charity, at –

I’m just coming to the end of a new feature project, so it’s time to consider the question that every writer must face… What next?
Writers are rarely short of ideas. Usually we’re waist deep in half-formed thoughts, seductive characters and fascinating fictional worlds. If we’ve been stacking projects – rewriting one project while writing a first draft of another and planning a third – many of those projects will be temptingly close to ‘ready to write’. (And if you want to know more about the merits of project stacking, Scott Myers has an excellent article on it here: http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2010/12/business-of-screenwriting-art-of.html )

But that just makes the question more confusing. Which of these glorious masterpieces should you write next? Well, you have a few options.

The one that will sell. Not just for the money, but because a project in development is better for your career than something no one has ever heard of. What’s selling at the moment? What do your contacts say they’re looking for? Are female protagonists in or out? Does the industry love sci-fi this month, or hate it? Look through your ideas, and pick the one most likely to go into development in the next few months.

The one that will make a statement. Do you want to prove you can write in a new genre? Are you looking to attract attention to yourself as a new writer? Have you just overcome a weakness in your writing style and want to show off your new skills? Then pick the project that will make a statement about you.

The one that consolidates who you are as a writer. Perhaps you’re not looking to change genre or style, but to establish yourself as a safe pair of hands in a particular field. Or you need another piece in the same genre so you can present a coherent body of work to an agent or manager. So pick the project that tones with your existing scripts.

The one you love. In the end, the idea you love most is the one that will attract the most attention, because a writer’s love for their world and characters shines through. So if none of the other considerations apply, ask yourself which idea you just have to write…